


Tag Along

by marimoes



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Pre-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21672559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marimoes/pseuds/marimoes
Summary: When stationed at an island before Water 7, Zoro finds a new friend. One with whiskers and a familiar feeling.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 66





	Tag Along

The sand digs at Zoro’s hands as he pushes against it. It’s warm, but not hot, which is perfect for working out on. No scalding cuts being pressed into his palms as he does handstand pushups with his eyes closed, just gentle heat. 

Everyone else is out on the island they’ve landed on — no doubt causing some amount of trouble — but Zoro is happy to just work out alone for once. Usually while he does, Chopper sits on his back or Luffy counts out of time trying to mess him up, and that’s fine he really doesn’t mind it, but sometimes being alone is nice. 

At least, he thought he was alone until something brushes against his arm. It’s soft, curling around his skin before disappearing. Opening his eyes, Zoro finds himself face to face with the accused visitor: a small black cat. It closes its eyes, purring softly as it moves forward to rub against his face and Zoro holds still. 

Not out of fear, or anything malicious, but more curiosity. It’s been a while since an animal approached him — was that dog’s name Chow Chow? — and this one seems nice. Letting his legs float back onto the ground, Zoro lets his body fall into a planking position. This way he can continue to work out, but a little more eye level with the creature in front of him. 

A good decision it seems, because the cat rubs against him again, head to tail against his nose. It’s warm, smells of salt and dirt, and Zoro smiles. It could be attacking him instead, scratching or biting his skin. Cats do that, he recalls thinking back to their run in with Kuro and his crew. 

“You a little stray?” Zoro asks and the cat turns back quickly at the sound of his voice. It meows, soft and high, almost lost to the sound of the ocean behind them, “I guess so.” 

“Oiiiiiii, Zoro!” 

Zoro looks back to see everyone heading back onto the Merry, arms full of supplies, and it’s Usopp who seems to be calling him. His arms wave over his head out of time and Zoro snorts, standing up. Time goes by so quickly when he’s able to spend it alone, and what a pity too, just now finding a quiet friend. 

“I gotta go. Nice, uh, talkin’ to ya.” Zoro says, rubbing a quick hand across the cat’s head to its tail. The motion makes it perk up, tail twitching after Zoro pulls away. It’s a small thing, but warms Zoro all the same. “Be good.” 

He doesn’t know why he felt the need to say that — or talk to the cat at all — but he did. Heading back to the ship, Zoro rolls his shoulders, trying to loosen them from the workout he just completed. How long was he out there anyways? 

Looking up at the sun he tries to calculate it, but ultimately fails before hearing a laugh ahead of him. 

“Oi, Marimo! I’m surprised you didn’t get lost on your own.” Sanji calls, hands now empty of the supplies he was carrying a moment ago, “Oh, seems like you _found_ something instead.” 

Zoro starts to walk up the plank onto the ship, muttering under his breath at the cook, but stops when he hears movement behind him. He counts ahead of him, low under his breath, and comes up with six members of the crew. No one is behind him then, no one that he wouldn’t cut down if needed. 

Turning on his heel, Zoro’s eyes search the open air for danger but come up with nothing but a gentle mew. Looking down, the cat is already wound around his legs, tail flicking as it weaves. It chirps, small, happy sounds and Zoro’s shoulders fall. 

“You followed me, eh?” Zoro says, nearly a laugh because once again after he speaks, it answers like it understood him, “Well, come on.” 

Walking up onto the deck, the cat saunters behind him, staying no more than two steps away. It’s like his shadow has manifested into something real. A breathing creature that refuses to part with him. 

“Ohhhhh!” Luffy croons snaking his head forward and down to look at the cat, “It’s pretty. I wanna keep it.” 

Hissing, the cat pops Luffy’s nose with her paw before ducking farther behind Zoro’s leg. Luffy quickly reels back in, rubbing his face in defeat, and Nami laughs under her hand. Bending down a few steps away, Robin holds out a hand, and softly wiggles her fingers. 

“Luffy, you have to be gentle.” Robin chides, and smiles as the cat starts to walk towards her. It stops, sniffing her for a moment before pushing up under her hand, urging her to pet it. So, she does, quickly scratching behind its ears making it purr, “See. Try again.” 

Luffy pushes his hand forward once more, holding it next to Robin’s and the cat sniffs him. Again, it hisses, but after hesitating for a second, it bumps up against Luffy’s hand. Luffy recoils again, bouncing upwards and the cat runs back behind Zoro once more. 

“Alright, no scaring it.” Zoro says and walks over to the edge of the ship, letting his swords rest against the railing before he leans his body along with it, “Luffy, I don’t think it likes the smell of rubber on you.” 

Luffy holds his hand up to his face, sniffing, and shrugs. 

The cat mews again and Zoro turns trying to find it. It sits, hovering next to his leg with a single paw in the air. A quiet question held in its eyes and Zoro tilts his head. Reaching out, it taps his leg, once, twice, before Zoro catches on. 

“Ahh,” Zoro sighs and crosses his legs, “Come on, then.” 

Without further instruction, the cat hops up into his lap, curling in the space created from his folded legs. It lies there, purring harder than before, stretching across him. The sun seems to soak into it easily, with fur that dark he can’t imagine how hot it must be, but it seems happy. Content. 

Zoro’s eyes fall shut, sleep slowly overtaking him after his workout, and with the purring vibrating on him it’s not long before he’s completely out. 

When he wakes, the warmth is gone, as is most of the sun, now starting to hide on the horizon. Along with it is the cat, that is now no longer resting on him. With hazy eyes, he looks around the deck, trying to find the small black spot, but he comes up with nothing. 

Awake all at once, his swords fall, clattering on deck as he clambers up to stand and he hears a laugh come from his left. 

“She’s with Sanji.” Robin says, flipping another page of her book and Zoro realigns himself, “She’s been quite sociable.” 

Rubbing his head, Zoro narrows his eyes over to the top of the ship, but the pull of night makes it harder to see, “She?” 

As if he summoned her with the word itself, Zoro watches as the cat appears out of thin air, trotting down from the grove. Her eyes shining, a warm brown in the dark, and Zoro feels his stomach stir a little. He once saw eyes just like those, staring eagerly at him during the night. The sound of sparring ringing far away in his ears. 

Again, she chirps, twirling herself around Zoro’s legs and he smiles, resigning to lean back against the edge of the ship again. Where she showed hesitation before, there is none now as she hops up on his lap, and unlike before, she doesn’t stop there. No, she climbs him and pulls up to his chest, moving to wrap herself around his neck and when she settles Robin giggles. 

“What a nice scarf you have.” 

The sensation of the cats tongue rubbing against the side of Zoro’s head is rough and wet, and he feels his hair pull along with it. A tsk comes from his right and he doesn’t dare move his head, only his eyes, to see Sanji leaning against the mast in front of him. A cigarette hangs in the corner of his mouth and his lighter flips open and closed causing a small click. 

“So, she tied herself to the worst option here, eh?” Sanji mumbles and a hand appears next to his face from the wood, grabbing the cigarette from his mouth, “Ah, Robin-chwan, you’re right. I shouldn’t smoke near her.” 

“They say that cats are great tells of character.” Robin replies, dropping the cigarette back into Sanji’s pocket, “She knows him, deep down, it seems.”

Ignoring the scene, the cat purrs louder in Zoro’s ear, nearly drowning out the conversation as she continues to lick on his hair. His heartbeat aligns with her breathing, and sleep starts to tug at him once again. She continues licking only for a minute more, before settling down, placing her head atop her paws on his shoulder. 

Memories try to float in his mind as he drifts to sleep, a blurred outline of another dark haired caretaker he once had. One that was sweet, but feisty all the same. One that he hasn’t thought about in a while. Leaning back against the railing, with her wrapped around his neck, the purring fully blocks the rest of the ship’s noise.

Sleep takes finally him with a smile on his face, and a heavy heart beating slow in his chest. 

“Goodnight, Kuina.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece for icouldbewicked, and I love how it turned out! Thank you again for the wonderful idea, it was so so soft. 
> 
> Tumblr: @noswordstyle  
> Twitter: @__moes__
> 
> If you're interested in a piece let me know on either platform!


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